Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte backed out of a scheduled one-on-one interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Thursday after he body-slammed a reporter.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” said on Twitter that Gianforte’s campaign canceled his Thursday evening appearance on “Meet the Press Daily.”
“Update: @GregforMontana’s campaign has cancelled his appearance on @MCNBS’s #MTPDaily this evening,” the tweet said.
Update: @GregForMontana‘s campaign has cancelled his appearance on @MSNBC‘s #MTPDaily this evening. https://t.co/vOZE8uURa9
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 25, 2017
The cancellation comes after Gianforte, who is running to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in Montana, was cited by police for misdemeanor assault after a reporter for the Guardian said the Republican candidate body-slammed him to the ground during an event at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Mont.
The incident took place when Ben Jacobs, the reporter, asked Gianforte for his reaction to the CBO’s score on the House GOP’s healthcare bill.
Numerous reporters witnessed the assault and backed Jacobs’ retelling.
